


The Never-Forgotten Family

by petalsandguitars



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Post-Movie, painful memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 10:03:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13292523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/petalsandguitars/pseuds/petalsandguitars
Summary: After Héctor regains his rightful place with the Rivera family he couldn't be happier but the thought of his other family haunts him with the menace of not finding familiar faces if he were to head back.





	The Never-Forgotten Family

**Author's Note:**

> You can find my Tumblr post for this here: https://fedecolombo.tumblr.com/post/172669419962/.
> 
> Gift to the prompt of Héctor and his family visiting Shantytown to tell the nearly forgotten skeletons that they can move into Ernesto’s mansion since it’s been handed over to Héctor now.

Héctor had woken up early that morning, and not by chance.

He had gone back to being a musician alright but he also loved helping around the workshop established by his beloved wife, his Imelda.

He had even started learning how to make shoes and he had no problem to admit he was mostly a klutz at it, that is when the twins weren’t around.

Héctor had always had a bit of a rivalry with Imelda’s brothers, probably because they all loved her so much and couldn’t help being jealous to have another man around her other than themselves.

In fact, Oscar and Felipe were the only ones who teased Héctor at the workshop, the rest of the family was very sweet and helpful.

But in the end, even Héctor and the twins felt a deep affection for one another.

It had showed particularly well when Héctor had managed to stick a long nail in his skeletal thumb rather than in a practice-shoe a couple of days earlier.

Imelda had been out and the twins were the most experienced after her and managed to remove it without cracking the bone at all.

‘Oye, Héctor, be more careful,’ Felipe had said.

‘Yeah, you still need these to play,’ Oscar had continued raising the hand that he was holding to check the damage, referring to his fingers.

‘Yeah, I need those,’ Héctor had said but he had felt a deep surge of affection for his brothers-in-law, who could have just mocked him and instead were giving advice as to what to do and what not do so that the bone would fill in the hole more quickly.

They weren’t just brothers-in-law, they were actual brothers at heart.

Héctor had to smile about that as he pulled on his purple gilet that morning, it wasn’t even nearly dawn yet but that was exactly what he needed to sneak out.

He had almost reached the bedroom’s door when he literally jumped at least twenty centimeters in the air.

‘Where do you think you’re going this early, mister?’ Imelda’s voice called clearly from behind him.

‘Imelda!’ he said turning around, ‘Don’t – don’t scare me like that!’ he said out of breath, ‘And how, how did you even – ? I tiptoed like a complete doofus all the way to the door!’

Imelda was laying in bed but keeping herself propped up on one elbow, and she was smirking, ‘Yes, that was very amusing to watch.’

Héctor would have blushed if he still could have and he made an annoyed expression, ‘Ah ah, very funny.’

Imelda chuckled, ‘It was, mi amor, did you really have to hold your arms out as you went though?’

‘I – I,’ Héctor tried to find a reason as to why he had done that and found none, Imelda burst out laughing at his face so screwed up in concentration and he looked at her, affronted for the span of two seconds before he burst out laughing as well, how could he not?

‘So, where are you going?’ Imelda asked then, gently.

‘I was going to, to visit my other family… you know, the nearly-forgotten guys…’ Héctor said and looked down.

As if a camera flash had hit his eyes, he remembered how Chicharrón’s weight had left the hammock.

He couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else had vanished, how many if yes?

Imelda got up at once and reached his side.

‘Héctor,’ she said softly.

‘They offered me Ernesto’s stupid castle, remember? I thought – I thought they could go and live there, the bungalows are always falling apart in Shantytown.’

Another flash and he was in _his_ bungalow, Chicharrón was helping him fix things around when a thick piece of wood had fallen right on Héctor’s head with a loud _clunk_. Chicharrón had burst out laughing unceremoniously while Héctor shouted curses at the bungalow, at the piece of wood and then at that old guy too for he was still laughing at him.

Héctor felt a small smile cross his lips at that memory.

‘That’s a wonderful idea,’ said Imelda, touching her hand to Héctor’s cheekbone.

He was still looking down, again with a sorrowful expression in his eyes.

How many could have vanished? In a sudden rush of panic, he imagined reaching Shantytown only to find it empty.

He started breathing hard and felt a scorching hot pain shoot through him, in his closed eyes he could see his bones glow that beautiful yet terrible gold, he unvoulountarily shuddered just like when he used to have those seizures.

‘Héctor?’ Imelda said, worriedly, holding her hand over his ribcage and her other to his shoulder.

He looked at her, catching on his breathing.

‘What is it, Héctor?’ she said gently.

‘I was just – remembering,’ he said, looking away.

She understood at once, ‘You’re here now, Héctor, you’re on our family’s ofrenda, you’ll never fade.’

‘I know,’ he breathed out, ‘but how many will fade? And – and there’s nothing anyone can do to prevent that.’

Imelda felt Héctor’s pain as if it were her very own and she embraced her husband gently but firmly.

He couldn’t bring himself to do the same, he was breathing hard and felt panic rush through him in waves.

Imelda held him and held him, stroking his hair gently until she felt him calm down.

She thought it best not to give him time to remember about when he was nearly fading.

‘Why were you sneaking out?’ she asked, it wasn’t demanding or harsh, just a sincere question.

‘I thought – this is something I need to do alone,’ he said.

‘You just don’t want me to see where you had to live because I kept chasing you away,’ Imelda said, it was a statement.

Héctor bit on his lip.

Imelda embraced him and his eyes went wide, she spoke to him gently, ‘You can go alone if that is your wish, my love,’ she pulled back a little to look him in the eye, ‘but please promise me you’ll take me there one day.’

Héctor looked almost afraid.

‘When you’ll be ready,’ Imelda said, ‘I need to see it, Héctor.’

‘Yes,’ he agreed, ‘yes.’

‘Now go,’ she gave him a smile, ‘you’re making the world proud today.’

Héctor smiled a sad but grateful smile, ‘Thank you, Imelda.’

They embraced tightly, then she cupped his cheekbones and placed a light kiss on his forehead.

He looked at her and caressed her cheek, ‘I’ll be back soon.’

‘I’ll be waiting,’ said Imelda and Héctor felt whole.

He kissed Imelda goodbye and left the great house where the Riveras lived, next to the equally big family hacienda.

He headed to his old home, his first home in the Land of the Dead.

He reached Shantytown when it was nearly dawn, but he knew he wouldn’t bother anyone, that place never slept.

The moment he stepped over the great archway, four guys yelled, ‘Héctor!’

He didn’t have the time to respond because many other voices did that before him.

‘Héctor?’

‘Did someone say Héctor?’

‘Héctor’s back?!’

It seemed like in the next minute the whole population of Shantytown had flooded the wooden bridges in between the bungalows.

‘Primo, we were worried! Where have you been?!’ said a young woman after someone had mercifully shouted a mighty “SHUT UP” to everyone else.

Héctor had been away for far too long, he knew, it had been a month, and that was too much for a nearly-forgotten skeleton.

But he had been afraid to come back, he had been afraid to hear who had been forgotten, he had seen so many vanish, so many…

He explained everything and then to his surprise someone laughed, ‘I told you guys, it was him!’

Someone else joined in the laughter and addressed Héctor, ‘We set bets you see.’

Another chimed in, ‘If _you_ were _the_ Héctor everyone in Fancytown was talking about.’

‘You never told us your last name was Rivera, you bastard, I bet everything that it couldn’t have been you,’ said a man, but he too was laughing.

Héctor smiled sadly, how could he have forgotten so fast about this? The neverending positivity this place was always filled with thanks to literally its every resident.

‘I have a proposal for you guys,’ said Héctor, loud enough so that everyone could hear him.

‘I thought you were already married!’ someone shouted from the back.

There was a general round of laughter in which Héctor joined, then he continued, ‘You all know de la Cruz’s big, stupid, fancy castle?’

There was a great deal of “yes”, “how couldn’t we?”, “the bastard” that people all around said.

‘Well it’s mine now!’ Héctor announced with a smile.

Everyone went quiet.

‘But my place is with my wife,’ he continued, ‘so if anyone here felt like… I don’t know,’ he said, playing on his words like his mischievous old self would do in Shantytown at all times, ‘moving in? You know, rooms like cathedrals with pools inside, offerings everywhere, anything you’ve never even dreamed you might want is there.’

Everyone seemed to be in a stupor.

‘It’s all yours guys!’ Héctor shouted with a big smile.

For a split second, Héctor was afraid they would feel insulted to be asked to go live in Fancytown, as they all had come to call the city where perfectly remembered people continued their lives without worries.

But then a defeaning cheer proved him wrong.

‘Lead the way, cousin Héctor!’ someone said.

‘Pack your things first, thick-head!’ the person next to them said.

Everyone laughed and left to pack up their things.

An elderly woman though didn’t move, she reached Héctor and everyone stopped midway from their destinations.

‘Héctor, this is our home, this was _your_ home too,’ she said, ‘we don’t belong… up there.’

Everyone else started exchanging meaningful and sorrowful looks, for a moment they had hoped.

‘I thought so too once, tía,’ said Héctor, taking both her hands in his, ‘but now I know that it’s not true. You belong there as much as anyone else, I thought I could never leave Shantytown… but it’s falling apart,’ he said with an ache in his ribcage, ‘you don’t deserve this, none of you do,’ he looked around, ‘you deserve all the best there is in this life, until the very end.’

And even though skeletons couldn’t shed tears, many were sobbing.

‘Come with me… my friends, my family,’ said Héctor, more loudly this time, ‘this was our home, we’ll never forget the moments we spent here, we’ll never forget who vanished from here,’ he said bravely, ‘but now it’s time to go.’

There was a loud cheer and many gritos filled the air.

Héctor suppressed a sob when he heard them, he had been the crazy guy the night he had decided to bring out everyone’s own personal grito.

And so everyone packed their few belongings and they had formed an orderly group, ready to follow Héctor.

But he simply smiled and fell into the first line, taking hold of the hands of the two people he was standing in between.

Soon everyone had locked hands with the person or persons closest to them and together they left their home, because as Héctor had said, it was time to go.

They reached de la Cruz’s castle together, and they were welcomed by the huge fanclub who always gravitated around there in the hope of seeing _the_ Héctor Rivera.

Many of the Shantytown residents looked intimidated in front of these pristine white skeletons, what with their ragged clothes and yellowed bones but they were welcomed as enthousiastically as Héctor.

Soon the fans organized in groups to find everyone a room of their liking, it took longer than expected because everyone was actually very curious to see the whole place but in the end, everyone had a beautiful room to themselves.

They all met back in one of the largest rooms and they talked for hours, Héctor was so relieved to hear that no one had vanished during that month but he knew it would have happened again eventually, but as he always had had, he would have been there, there for his family.


End file.
